“Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord does not count against them and in whose spirit is no deceit.” (Psalm 32:2 NIV)
God’s blessing is forgiving your sin.
God’s grace is available for all who believe in Him. When you humble yourself and admit, “I’m a sinner,” to God, He forgives you. Not only does He forgive you, He can no longer see your sin:
“As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12 NIV)
God forgives our sin, He removes it from us. What does that mean about future sin? Truth is, we never stop sinning. We’re human, perfection is not part of the definition. We all have struggles which we battle daily. We know the right thing to do, we do the wrong thing.
Nothing separates us from God’s love.
“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39 NIV)
Future sin won’t separate us from God. However, that fact doesn’t mean we have free reign to do whatever we want. Sin has consequences.
A memorable moment in my childhood involved my little brother tattling on us. Three siblings in the house, we decided to try smoking. We found cigarette butts from my Dad and smoked them. My little brother, also smoking, told my Mom. Her punishment, she gave us what we wanted. She had us smoke a cigarette. Needless to say, we couldn’t. My oldest brother inhaled, turned green and was immediately sick. My little brother and I didn’t even try. None smoked again after that.
We experienced grace from my Mom. In order to teach us, she gave us what we wanted. When we got what we wanted, we didn’t want it anymore. My Mom didn’t stop loving us or end her relationship with us because we sinned. When my younger brother confessed, she forgave him. God forgives us when we repent, but He also wants us to learn and grow from our mistakes, just like my Mom did.
God’s grace is His greatest gift to us. His love covers all sin. When we accept His grace, our relationship with Him begins. As we pursue a relationship with Him, He will teach us as a loving parent. He knows we battle the flesh daily. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. Either way, God still loves us.
Sin is a lifelong battle. Seeking God’s grace isn’t a one time journey. Each time we falter, we seek His grace. God’s grace renews us for the next battle.
Question of the Day:
What area do you need God’s grace in today?
Further Reading: Nehemiah 3:15-5:13 NIV, 1 Corinthians 7:25-40 NIV, Psalm 32 NIV, Proverbs 21:5-7 NIV
